What is configuration management in simple terms?

In layman’s terms, configuration management or CM is the process of automating and managing software configuration processes. It enables development teams to efficiently configure and organize different components of a software system, such as servers, databases, code, network settings, microservices, etc.

What is the main purpose of configuration management?

The main purpose of configuration management is to keep track of each and every change in the system so that no undocumented change can make it up to the production environment. This, in turn, maintains the system’s reliability and integrity.

What are the main tasks of configuration management?

The main tasks of configuration management are: Defining the scope and plan of CM, Creating and maintaining the CM baseline , Managing and controlling configuration changes, Reporting and sharing the configuration data, Auditing and verifying the configuration status

How does configuration management fit with DevOps?

The primary objective of DevOps is to develop and deploy high-quality software with superior user experience. Configuration management, being one of the cornerstones of DevOps, helps development teams achieve that by enabling them to define and provision code configurations, reduce manual work, and fix issues quickly.

What is the future of configuration management in DevOps?

The future of configuration management will continue to evolve in several ways. It might merge with other DevOps practices like IaC and CI/CD. AI and automation play a key role in configuration management coupled with hybrid and multi-cloud environments. CM will also align with modern serverless and containerized deployment methods.

A Developer’s Definitive Guide to Configuration Management in DevOps